I ran across this quote in my background research for my message two weeks ago and am just now getting it posted. Simply, yet profound thinking on how God worked in the world through his word.

“Pretty much all the nations and tribes from Bible times that were of Israel’s size are gone. So why did Israel survive? Not just survive; in the words of Thomas Cahill, ‘how did a tribe of desert nomads change the way the world thought and felt? What distinguished Israel from everyone else?’ It wasn’t power. Most of its history Israel was a vassal nation. It wasn’t wealth. Israel was never a consistent economic player. It wasn’t size. Israel was dwarfed by Greece, Egypt, Babylon, and Rome. What did Israel have? A book.” - John Ortberg, People of the Book, Leadership Journal, 29(1), p37

It was Israel's dogged commitment to hearing God speak through his word that influenced the intellectual (and spiritual) history of the world. By the way, if you're interested in  joining the bible study methods class that will be starting up in a few weeks, email me. To comment or ask a question, follow this link.